Jan 19

Joss Stone attracts big names on new album
[source: NME.com] Joss Stone's new album will feature guest appearances from rapper Common and Fugees singer Lauryn Hill.
Introducing Joss Stone follows 2004's Mind, Body & Soul and was recorded in the Bahamas and mixed at the legendary Electric Lady studios in New York City.
Produced by Raphael Saadiq, whose previous credits include Macy Gray and The Roots, Stone described the record as "truly me".
"That's why I'm calling it Introducing Joss Stone," she explained. "These are my words, and this is who I am as an artist."
Common and Lauryn Hill both guest on the album, the latter rapping on the Fugees-inspired "Music".
Introducing Joss Stone is released on Tuesday March 20 in the US.

http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Joss-Stone.aspx


Usher fined over speeding charge
[source: NME.com] Usher has been fined for speeding after he drove at more than 160km/h.
A court in Georgia found the singer guilty yesterday (Thursday January 18) and ordered him to perform 20 hours of community service. Probate Court Judge Mitchell Scoggins also fined Usher AU$539.
Usher was pulled over on Tuesday July 4 last year for driving at 103 miles (166 km) an hour.
After the ruling, the singer spent 30 minutes signing autographs for fans.

http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Usher.aspx


Garbage recording again
[source: NME.com] Garbage have started recording their first new material since 2005's Bleed Like Me.
Although singer Shirley Manson is currently working on a solo album and the band are preparing to release Absolute Garbage – a best-of due on Monday March 19 – drummer Butch Vic confirmed the band were recording again.
"We're recording a couple of new songs at the end of February. I think everyone's excited about getting back in a room and playing some music together."
Of the Absolute Garbage compilation, Vig told MTV News the band had been working on it "for a while".
"There was originally talk about doing it with a B-sides and remix CD as well," Vig revealed. "I'm not sure what we'll do, but we have a lot of B-sides and remixes over the years, so it would be cool to see that come out in a proper package for our hardcore fans."

Absolute Garbage tracklisting:

"Vow"
"Queer"
"Only Happy When It Rains"
"Stupid Girl"
"Milk"
"#1 Crush"
"Push It"
"I Think I'm Paranoid"
"Special"
"When I Grow Up"
"You Look So Fine"
"The World Is Not Enough"
"Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go)"
"Shut Your Mouth"
"Why Do You Love Me"
"Bleed Like Me"
"It's All Over But The Crying"
"New track (untitled)"

http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Garbage.aspx


Justin Timberlake: Grammy competition finalists named
[source: NME.com] Justin Timberlake has named the five finalists who will compete for the chance to perform alongside him at the Grammy Awards.
Aspiring singers were invited to submit a 60-second video of themselves singing one of nine Grammy-winning songs without accompaniment. The videos appeared on Yahoo Music and CBS.com, where voters selected their favourites.
Neil Portnow, the Recording Academy President, said the response to the competition had been overwhelming.
The finalists are Alice Miranda (Alabama), Jillian Gaudious (New Jersey), Brenda Radney (New York), Robyn Troup (Texas) and Jessica James (Georgia).
The public can still vote, with three of the remaining five due to head to Los Angeles to rehearse with Timberlake in early February.
The 49th Grammy Awards will take place at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles on Sunday February 11. The winner will be announced live on the show before Timberlake's performance.

http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Justin-Timberlake.aspx


K-Fed kicks off new career
Determined to put his troubled marriage to US pop singer Britney Spears behind him, Kevin Federline says he wants to change the public's perception of him.
Speaking to US magazine People, the 28-year-old dancer/actor/rapper called for an image change.
"Just changing my perception of myself in the public eye is number one," Federline admitted. "I'm slowly and gradually doing that. I've been through a lot of stuff in my life and had to overcome a lot of different situations. I learned at a young age that it's not good to be negative about everything. Life's too short for that."
Federline is starting his new campaign with a tongue-in-cheek TV commercial for US firm Nationwide Insurance, which sees him play a rags-to-riches rapper.
"This is just the start of other things to come," he said. "2007 is a completely life-changing experience for me. We're only a few weeks in and it's already going in a whole other direction. I'm happy. I'm definitely happy."

http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Britney-Spears.aspx


Lindsay Lohan enters rehab
Hollywood actress/pop singer Lindsay Lohan has entered rehab in Los Angeles.
In a statement, Lohan said she had made a proactive decision to take care of her health.
"I appreciate your well wishes and ask that you please respect my privacy at this time," she added.
In December, Lohan admitted she'd been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for more than a year, but had kept them a secret.
"It's no one's business," she said at the time. "That's why it's anonymous!"

http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Lindsay-Lohan2.aspx
http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Lindsay-Lohan.aspx


Kings Of Leon unleash Because Of The Times
Tennessee five-piece Kings Of Leon have released details of their new LP, Because Of The Times.
The new record from the Southern rockers – Nathan, Caleb and Jared Followill, and their cousin Matthew – is set to drop on Monday April 2, with first single "On Call" out in the last week of March.
The LP was recorded with producer Ethan Johns (Ryan Adams, Emmylou Harris) at Blackbird Studios in Nashville and Sunset Sound in Los Angeles.
According to frontman Caleb Followill, it's the band's most ambitious work to date.
"These songs are so much bigger [and] this band is so much better," he said. "There was a growth that some people thought they heard on [2005's] Aha Shake Heartbreak from [2003's] Youth & Young Manhood, but there's no comparison this time. I think it's pretty evident when people hear it."

http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Kings-Of-Leon.aspx


Ewan McGregor to play Kurt Cobain?
Courtney Love is currently in talks with Hollywood producers to bring the life of her late husband, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, to the big screen, with Scottish actor Ewan McGregor tipped for the lead role.
Love has acquired the rights to Heavier Than Heaven, Seattle author Charles Cross's biography on the late grunge singer, and is intending on turning Cobain's story into a feature film.
"A number of actors have been talked about for the role but Ewan has emerged as the number one choice," an unnamed insider told UK newspaper The Daily Express.
Love, however, has merely confirmed the project. In a posting on her website, she revealed the project is "in an embryonic stage" and "it has no script and no director attached, let alone stars".

http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Nirvana.aspx


Marilyn Manson in mid-life crisis
After his wife of one year, burlesque star Dita Van Teese, filed for divorce last month after almost seven years as a couple, friends of US goth rocker Marilyn Manson are reportedly worried the star might be in serious trouble.
A close friend of the singer expressed dismay to a US magazine about the 38-year-old singer's recent behaviour.
The friend was particularly concerned about Manson's new relationship with 19-year-old actress Evan Rachel Wood, who starred as an out-of-control teenager in indie flick Thirteen.
"It's like he's having a midlife crisis," the friend said. "He's with a younger version of Dita. [Wood] has her hair and makeup done like Dita."
Wood's agent has denied the actress had anything to do with the split, while Von Teese is reportedly distraught her soon-to-be ex-husband has failed to try and contact her.

http://bigpondmusic.com/Artist/Marilyn-Manson.aspx